Allergies VS Cold, Figuring it Out with Doctor On Demand

This post was sponsored by Doctor On Demand as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.

Spring is here! Sure it brings sunny warm days, but it also brings rainy days, pollen, and more. As a mom, I want to enjoy the nicer weather. I want to be out with my kids, playing on the playground, taking walks, enjoying their soccer games. But every spring and even fall I get what I think are chronic allergy symptoms: itchy eyes, bad headaches, itchy ears and even more troublesome pain in my ears. I’ve attributed this to allergies. I mean colds wouldn’t last this long, right? I’ve seen a traditional doctor but haven’t seen much success with that. I’ve tried over the counter medicines and eye drops and they will help with the itchy eyes but not so much with the other symptoms.

I’m over it!

I’m over the allergies vs cold symptoms. I hate how awful these symptoms make me feel. I hate how they affect my mood and make it hard to enjoy quality family time together. And yet, I work from home. Those precious hours while my boys are at school I am busy tapping away at the laptop, working on Jersey Family Fun. I need to make the most of my daytime hours and I can’t use it sitting in a doctor’s office…. even if it is to help take care of myself. And forget about trying afterschool…. three boys waiting in a doctor’s waiting room or the exam room….no no no. Unless, I give them electronic time, they are either bored or fighting.

I needed a solution. I need a way to find out if this is allergies vs cold. And I need to figure it out without it taking a lot of time.

When I was offered the chance to work with Doctor On Demand, I was intrigued. Doctor On Demand is an easy affordable way for individuals to see a board-certified physicians and psychiatrists, and doctorate-level psychologists without needing to be in a doctor’s office. Appointments can happen over your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Here was my chance to finally solve my allergies vs cold problem on my schedule and without spending a crazy amount of time in a waiting room with 3 boys.

Typically from phone call to appointment it takes 3 weeks to make a visit with a primary care physician, longer for say a specialist ENT doctor, and sometimes even longer if you are a new patient. With the Doctor On Demand physician I was able to pick the day and time that worked for me and with a guarantee that our video doctor visit would begin within 15 minutes of my appointment time.

Here’s how to use Doctor On Demand

Before your Doctor On Demand appointment

If using on your desktop, you must have Google Chrome and a front-facing camera. Otherwise, you can download the Doctor On Demand app on any of these devices: Android, iPhone, iPad, or Galaxy Tab. There is no fee for the app.

Register for the service via the app.

During the registration service you will be asked to enter your insurance information. You can do that step in the beginning or skip and come back to it later. Insurance is not required. If you do have insurance check with your provider. Doctor On Demand is now covered by many health plans. Your visit may be fully or partially covered by your health plan or employer.

Enter in your home location in order to match you up with a board-certified doctor licensed to practice and prescribe medications in your state.

Enter in information about your pharmacy. This will make it easy for the doctor to send in an escript for any prescriptions you may need.

You will need to input your credit card information before your visit. There is no monthly service fee and no subscription fee. You are only charged per video visit. Most visits are $40 or less and we have a discount code below to save $10 off your fist visit.

When you schedule an appointment or decide to ‘see’ a doctor now, you will be able to enter the Jersey Family Fun promo and coupon code for a $10 credit. Use the code JERSEY10.

Just like a registered nurse sees you first in a doctor’s office to review your medical history the same happens with Doctor On Demand. There will be a series of screens asking you questions about your symptoms, current medications, etc. Tip: while normally I enter an alternate birthdate for protection against identity theft, you shouldn’t with Doctor On Demand. Your birthday on file with them will need to match up with your birthdate on file with your insurance and pharmacy so there are no difficulties in processing your claims and prescriptions.

When you are ready to make a video visit, you can either see a medical doctor immediately or schedule a visit by clicking the ‘My Appts’ section.

During your Doctor On Demand appointment

Make sure your device is charged and that your microphone and camera are enable to work with the app.

Position yourself in a well-lit, quiet space. Make sure the washer, dryer, tvs, or dishwashers aren’t adding background noise making it hard for you and the doctor to hear each other.

You’ll get a text message letting you know that your doctor is available for your appointment and you can connect to have a real-time, face-to-face video visit.

If you need to cancel your appointment for any reason, there is a 4-hour cancellation window.

After your Doctor On Demand appointment

If any prescriptions have been ordered they will be sent to your pharmacy by fax or escript.

Once your visit is completed, you’ll also be asked to rate the doctor and your experience using a 5 star scale. You can leave comments as well.

A follow up email will also be sent to you asking about your Doctor On Demand experience.

What did I learn about allergies versus cold from my Doctor on Demand appointment

While every person is unique and should be seen by their own doctor, my symptoms did fall into the allergy column. My doctor was professional and courteous and recommended that for me, my best course of action for treating my allergies was to be proactive about them. She provided me with a short term solution for treating my allergies and suggested that I start this treatment on a daily basis and before my allergy seasons start. We also came up with an alternate solution, if say, after 30 days, I don’t feel complete relief. If my allergies turn out to be more severe I will have a prescription waiting that can be added into my treatment options.

My review of Doctor On Demand

There was a lot to appreciate about using the Doctor on Demand service. Beyond just saving time and money by not having to travel and wait to see a doctor, I appreciate that I didn’t have to explain my reason for my visit to multiple people. I didn’t have to worry about the quality of front desk staff. As a mom who has spent many times in doctors’ offices, the front desk staff can either make or break the doctor-patient experiences. I have many doctors I love, but their support staff make getting the care I or my children need challenging. That’s not an issue with Doctor On Demand.

The convenience of scheduling an appointment for when it’s convenient. As I was scheduling my appointment, I could have selected a time after the kids were in bed or before they woke up in the morning. This is huge to parents. If your child or you gets sick in the middle of the night, you can be seen by Doctor On Demand without having to drag everyone to the doctor’s office. Or lets be honest, how many of us moms would just deal with being sick because getting to the doctor just isn’t convenient?

I value the affordability of medical care with Doctor On Demand. With my current insurance, a visit to the doctor or urgent care to treat a nonemergency situation would result in a $50 copay. Doctor On Demand appointments are $40 or less. That my doctor also took the time to discuss affordable options for treating my allergies, meant a lot to me. Sometimes generics are best; sometimes they aren’t. She gave me both options while also providing me options if plan a didn’t work.

Doctor on Demand has certainly changed how I will get medical care to take care of myself as well as my kids. Now that I’m on my way to feeling better I’m looking forward to many more moments of outdoor family fun with my kids.

What medical issue have you been avoiding?

Jennifer Auer is the hyperlocal mom blogger who runs Jersey Family Fun. From New Jersey, this mom of 3 boys just can’t sit still! Her husband likes to say she’s a work-at-home mom who never stays home. Jennifer started traveling as a child and hasn’t stopped since. Instead of letting her husband and boys slow her down, she brings them along! Did you know that boys behave better when they are out exploring? As her boys start to become teens there’s still so many places she wants to discover with them both across the U.S. and internationally.

She has been a Jersey Girl for 20+ years, and a Jersey Mom for 8+ years and a New Jersey mom blogger for 7 years, although she’d much rather be referred to as an influencer or just by name.

She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurship from Bryant University in Rhode Island.